4 days to go! 4 more sleeps until we celebrate 7 years from the date we said "I do."
I remember going to bed the night before our wedding, listening to the rain on the roof as I thought: "Holy BLEEP - our wedding is outside on the beach..."
Oh... but I was also thinking: "Tonight is the last night I go to bed as Ms. Capistran... Tomorrow I will be Mrs. Rizzo, and I'll be living with my husband, and who knows what the future holds..."
Ours is tale unique to most people. By the end of our first date, which lasted 12 hours, I knew how many kids he wanted, all about his family and what his credit score was. We were engaged 6 weeks after that, and married 5 fast months later. The day after our wedding, we boarded a plane to Kauai, finally escaping the insane months of wedding planning as we simultaneously got to know one another (really). For 7 days we laid on the beach, snorkeled, vomited off the side of a tour boat, ate tons of food and drank drinks with umbrellas in them (mandatory!).
Upon our return, we were a married couple, now settling into life in a quiet suburban apartment, adopting the day-to-day grind as new roommates. That first year was crazy. I won't sugar-coat it; we were handed a ton of blessings and support, but also dealt with a whirlwind of change, arguments and frustration. I remember hiding out after a dispute and thinking: This is it - where the rubber meets the road. This is when people can be tempted to quit. Everything we ever wanted was a spouse, and now (go figure) it feels the challenges are more inconvenient and painful at this point than we expected.
Fast forward to the following year when we found out we were pregnant with our first baby... It is crazy to think about now, but with the added financial and emotional pressure of now becoming parents, we had moved into a new season and were gelling as a married couple.
7 years, 45 weeks of pregnancy, 3 kids, one home purchase, one book published, 3 home businesses and countless other hurdles later... we've been busy, but we've stayed the course! We are so passionate about encouraging married couples now as we continue to figure all this out. One mentor told us once: "Spend every day for the rest of your life becoming an EXPERT on your spouse. It will take that long, because we are always changing."
So, this is my shout-out to you, Babe. So many people championed us through the engagement process, but some tried to discourage us as well. I remember saying, "The way we do things, we are going to have a very busy life together," and I was right. I can't see them now, but I know there are mountains to be moved. I'm blessed to know from experience that we can do anything when we link arms. I'm buckling my belt for the ups and downs the next 7 years has for us. I love us. I love you.
XO,
Wifey
